The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-13
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
Some Points and Incidents Regarding the
Trade in Them.

Some Points and Incidents Regarding the
Trade in Them.
al wouldn't exactly say" remarked
manufacturer, ''that people can get
along as well with artificial limbs as
they can with artificial teeth, but the
art OF industry is fast approaching that
stage of perfection. Men and women
can eat and drink. play the violin,
write, and do various kinds of light
work with artificial arms and hands.
and they can dance, skate and run
with artificial legs.
The proportion of those whose mis-
fortunes require the use of artificial
limbs is about one in $4,000 of the pop
ulation. Of these, from twenty-five TO
thirty per cent. are women. OF the
limbs lost. the legs are in the large ma
jority-about seventy-fve per cent.
"a great MANY are under the impress
sion that the war made most of the
cripples now living. The fact is that
! for one person vino lost a limb in the
war. twenty to twenty-four lost theirs
through some accident on the railways,
or Ill some other manner entirely dis
| connected from warfare. The railroad
| is the great source of our business,
probably one-half the cases that come
to us being attributable TO railway ac-
cidents.''
IL suppose" said the reporter. "that
you mee7 with some queer incidents in
a. oo,,,.-o of --o,,,.
Yes, remember customer coming
TO me not long ago for his second arti-
fetal leg. He had worn the first for Il
number of years. he said he was in
much trouble of mind. He was going
to get married, and had been counting
his intended for year and Il half. and
she did not know but that he was en-
tirelv sound. The question in his mind
was whether to tell her before. or wait
until after marriage. | advised him to
inform her beforehand, as otherwise
she might have legal ground to apply
for an annulment of the marriage on
the ground of deception. He told me
afterward that he followed my adj
vice, and the lady concluded that she
loved him none the less on account
of his misfortune. Another singular
incident, but of different character,
was in connection with the collision |
of two steamers, one of which had Just |
started from this port for Europe, and |
had TO put back again on account of
the damage. None of the passengers |
were injured by the accident, and
friend jokingly remarked in my pres
ence that 1 would, no doubt. be greatly |
disappointed that there was no loss of
limb, as 1 would therefore get no
revenue from the occurrence. Strangely |
enough, the day following man from
Ohio walked into my Office and said
that he wanted an artificial leg. He
related that he had been a passenger
on the steamer which had 20 put back
on account of the collision, having
started from his home in Ohio to pay
a visit to Europe. When the vessel re-
turned to port he concluded, on reflec-
ton, to give up his European trip and
to expend the money he had reserved |
for the trip in providing himself with a
new artificial leg in place of the one
which he then wore. So it seems that
the collision of those two steamers
brought business after all"
"Who supply limbs for the soldiers?"
1.-The business is distributed among
different manufactures. nearly. if not,
all in the large cities of the Atlantic
coast. No Union soldier who has lost
Il limb in the war need be without an
artificial one. Northern manufacturers
also supply good many artificial limbs
to Confederate veterans. on the orders
of States of the South that have made
provision for the MANNED of the Lost
Cause; but great many of the South
ern veterans are unproyided, for the
reason that the appropriations for their
relief are not sufficiently frequent and
adequate.
"Of private cases, do the greater
number come from the city or coun-
try?"
Il think the danger of city and coun-
try life are about even, so far IS the
artificial limb trade is an Indicator.
The moving machine is fair set-off to
the horse cars ~ T. Sun.